“It really does depend on the weather but we get anywhere between 10 and 15 people here at the mall and probably about the same at Ravenswood but it is a bit up and down,” she said.

“Some who do access it at Ravenswood are families just needing a bit extra which is a bit different to what we see at the mall.”

There are a number of ‘regulars’, like Max, who often access the service to plan ahead.

“Quite often you’ll hear them say that they’ll put it away for breakfast or something else, we tend to probably see the older ones here at the mall and they are generally a lot younger at Ravenswood.”

Ms Harper said it was common to bump into people who accessed the van outside of service times and it was always a joy to stop when you recognised someone to hello.

“Sometimes it’s just about giving them something warm and an ear,” she said.

“Some of them will come just for the chat, for some of the regulars it’s an opportunity once you have spoken with them to decide whether you can offer services through the regional offices … especially someone that is new who turns up here, it’s an opportunity to find out about their situation.

“Sometimes they don’t want to share and that’s fine but there are some brochures and they can sometimes go to the regional office to get further assistance.”

Making sure the service was accessible and filling a gap was key when the Vinnie’s Van first began in late 2015.

Along with the hot soup and company, the van also holds a supply of beanies, scarves and jumpers.

Offering items like this is even more critical in the colder months Ms Harper said.

Originally, the van only operated on Saturday nights but it has always started service in the early evening because a later meal was already offered by another provider on the weekends.

“We’ve now go to the point where the service has been around enough and we have got enough of a volunteer base that we are starting to look for another stop,” Ms Harper said.

“Whether it be an extra night or another extra stop for one of these [weekend] nights.”

The teams work in groups of four on a rotating roster which lasts for about six weeks.